Isn't it interesting how we take for granted our accomplishments in life, especially as we enter midlife.
This summer, my wife, Robbie, and I visited our nephew and niece, Matt and Monita, and their two, almost 3-year-old daughters, Hannah and Mayah, in Seattle. One evening, all of us went out to a Chinese restaurant to have dinner. We chose a restaurant, which was as family-friendly as possible, given that the girls tended to speak with loud voices. We were glad that there were only a few tables of customers present when we came in. The girls were being very good, playing with the menus and chatting about all sorts of things.
At some point after we had placed the order for dinner, Monita excused herself to go to the bathroom. When she returned, Hannah asked her mom in a very sweet, but loud voice, "Mommy did you do a peepee or a poopie?" Monita was a little embarrassed, understandably so, given how loudly the question was raised, and tried to ignore Hannah’s question as best she could. But Hannah was very persistent and asked again in a louder voice, "Mommy, did you do a peepee or a poopie?" As quietly as she could answer, Monita said, "Sweetie, Mommy did a peepee." Hannah looked very lovingly into her mom's eyes and said to her, "Mommy, I'm very proud of you."
Isn't it interesting how we take for granted our accomplishments in life, especially as we enter midlife.
It may be true that it's not necessary anymore to congratulate ourselves for simple things, I started to think about those areas that I don't appreciate as accomplishments anymore.
My partial list included:
1. Being a good listener.
2. Having a good relationship with my nephews and nieces.
3. Being a safe driver.
4. Being a good cook.
5. Following my dreams.
Where in your life have you stopped appreciating your accomplishments?
I invite you to take on a new practice. A practice that includes acknowledging yourself each day for some accomplishment that you have been taking for granted. The goal is to celebrate more of your life each day. And notice, what happens in your life. I think you may be surprised. Once we are able to appreciate our own accomplishments, we can truly appreciate others.
Knowing What You Want! New Lessons from Another Great-Niece.
Do you know what you want? If you're like many people, may be even most people, in the middle part of life, the answer is probably no!
Reflections at the End of My First Half-Century
As my 50th birthday quickly approaches, I've been drawn to the question, what is midlife? Does it mean middle-age? I certainly don't use it that way. I recently read a survey that was taken of 50 to 59 year olds. They were asked at what age does middle-age begin? They were also asked at what age does old age begin? The average answers: 48 years and 72 years, respectively.
Transitions and New Beginnings
How are you dealing with the transitions in your life? The definition of transition is the act of passing from one state or place to the next. [A synonym is passage.] We often view transitions as changes and we all know how much we avoid change! Beginnings on the other hand suggest a wide open future full of possibility. The definition of beginning is the act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort, or state of the secession of acts or states. Beginnings seem to be less hampered by change and the human mind's avoidance of change.
